Keeping Ryan Private
by agent-mac
Summary: [UPDATED and COMPLETE!] A secret that Kate has kept hidden from her coworkers is about to be released. Chapter 7: Kate finally gets what she has always wanted... FINAL CHAPTER ADDED!
1. Chapter 1

**Keeping Ryan Private**

Rating: K

Disclaimer: Sadly, they don't belong to me. They belong to CBS and DPB.

This idea just popped into my head when I was going through a 'what if' scenario! I really hope you enjoy it. It's meant to be a one-shot, but it could possibly turn into something longer if you want, so review! Please!

I hope you enjoy reading it!

* * *

"So, Kate, whatchya doin' this weekend? Cleaning? Laundry? Reading a book?" Tony asked as he finished off his report for Gibbs. It was almost time for them to go home. They had just finished a case and were going to have their first full weekend off in over a month.

"Actually, you're wrong! I'm spending the weekend with Ryan," Kate replied, smirking across the bullpen at Tony.

"Ryan?" Tony rose from his seat and walked over to Kate's desk where he perched himself on top of a pile of her paperwork.

"Yes. His name is Ryan."

"I'm wondering if hell has frozen over!" Tony exclaimed. "Kate has a date! Probie, Kate has a date!"

"I know," McGee replied without even looking away from his computer.

"You knew Kate had a date this weekend? How come Probie knew before me?"

"I think it's one of the perks of dating Abby," Kate said gleefully. She saw Tony visibly clench his jaw in annoyance before he turned his attention back to Kate.

"So who is he?"

"Who is who?" Kate replied, acting innocent.

"Ryan."

"He's the love of my life, DiNozzo."

"Whoa! Kate! Why haven't you ever mentioned him?"

"Because, Tony, I like to keep my private life just that. Private!"

"Come on, Kate! We're partners! We're supposed to tell each other everything!"

"I am not one of your frat brothers, DiNozzo!" Kate joked. She sat back in her chair and grinned up at him.

"Does Gibbs know who he is?" Tony enquired.

"Does Gibbs know who?" Gibbs asked as he strode out of the elevator with a freshly filled cup of coffee. Tony cringed at having been caught out. Again.

"Kate's seeing someone," Tony said as he moved back to his own desk.

"She is?" Gibbs said. Although he tried his hardest to conceal it, he wore a shocked expression on his face.

"His name is Ryan," Tony stated smugly, pleased that he knew something that Gibbs didn't. It was cause for Tony to give a small fist-pump. Him knowing something before Gibbs was extremely rare. Gibbs looked over to Kate and gave her a questioning look. "She even said he was the love of her life." At that statement, Gibbs smiled. In all honesty, however, he knew about Ryan. He knew about Ryan the minute he hired her, but Kate didn't know that, and until she ever broached the subject with him, he wasn't going to say anything.

"Don't let him affect your work," Gibbs stated nonchalantly. Kate rolled her eyes. Was that all he ever cared about? "That goes for you too, DiNozzo." Tony sank back in his seat, defeated. Now that Gibbs was back from getting his usual coffee, there was no way he'd find out more about this 'Ryan' that Kate was dating.

Tony grabbed his report out of the printer and stapled it together. He strode over to Gibbs' desk and placed it in front of him. "All done, Boss." He put his hands in his pockets and stood there expectantly. Kate stood up and handed her report to Gibbs and gave Tony a small glare.

"Alright, get going." Gibbs said, flicking through the pages of their reports. "Be back here at 0700 sharp on Monday morning." Tony and Kate scurried towards their desk and collected their belongings. Shouts of "see you!" and "have a good weekend" echoed throughout the bullpen as they left the bullpen, leaving only McGee and Gibbs as the only two agents still working.

"Tell me more about Ryan, Kate," Tony said as they rode the elevator. Kate stood there and ignored him. There was no way he was going to find out about Ryan. No way in hell. She'd managed to keep him a secret the entire time she'd been at NCIS. There was no way that secret was going to come out now.

"There is nothing to tell, DiNozzo," Kate replied, not even making eye contact with him.

"How long have you been seeing him?"

"Tony," Kate warned, a tinge of anger could be heard in her voice.

"Alright. I give up." Tony put his hands up in surrender. Kate sighed; he'd given up quicker than she thought.

The doors opened and they made their way to their respective cars. "He must be good though, Kate, if he's the love of your life." Tony winked at her seductively and got in his car. Kate rolled her eyes at what he said. It was a typical 'Tony' statement. Kate unlocked the door to her silver BMW and climbed in. She started the engine and made her way out of the NCIS carpark, smiling at the fact that she was going to spend the next two days with Ryan.

* * *

Kate called out for Ryan when she entered her home. "Ryan, honey, I'm home!" She made her way through to the kitchen and saw him sitting at the table. She went over and kissed him on the cheek. She ruffled his hair affectionately as she made her way over to the coffee machine. "I've got the whole weekend to spend with you!" Ryan turned around and grinned at her.

Ryan got up from his chair and walked over to Kate. He wrapped his arms around her and whispered, "I love you." Kate smiled. She loved hearing him say that. It always made her heart melt.

"You're the love of my life," she replied, "you know that, don't you?"

"You tell me that everyday!" Ryan exclaimed pulling away from her.

"Only because it's true!" They both smiled at each other. "So, what do you want for dinner?"

"Are you cooking?" Ryan asked, a mischievous grin covering his face. Kate's mouth dropped open in mock surprise.

"My cooking is not that bad!" They both chuckled at her response. In all honesty, Kate's cooking wasn't that bad, but they often made jokes about it. She'd burnt some macaroni one day because she was talking on the phone at the time and Ryan had never let her live it down.

"Chinese?" Ryan asked.

"Whatever you want, Ryan." She kissed him chastely on the cheek again before taking her cell phone off her belt and ordering the Chinese.

* * *

Kate awoke early on Saturday morning. She had a stack of laundry to do and she wanted to get it out of the way so that she could spend as much time as she could with Ryan, who was currently sound asleep in her bed. It wasn't often that they could spend an entire weekend together, so she was going to take advantage of it.

Kate and Ryan were sitting on Kate's couch watching a movie after lunch when the doorbell rang. "Can I get it?" Ryan asked.

"It's alright. I'll get it. You stay here and watch the movie." She stood up from the couch and moved to open the door. Kate almost died of shock when she opened the door and saw Tony standing on the other side.

"Tony!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

He flashed her one of his charismatic grins. "I came to meet Ryan!"

"WHAT?" Kate screamed. Tony pushed his way into her apartment and walked down the hall. Kate followed closely on his heels and tried to grab him to stop him from entering the lounge room.

"So where is he?" He asked. There was no point in stopping him now. Once he stepped into the lounge room, he'd find Ryan.

"On the couch," Kate mumbled.

"Gotta tell ya, Kate, I'm dying to meet this guy!" He moved into the lounge room and froze in his tracks when he saw Ryan sitting on the couch, his eyes glued to the movie playing on the screen in front of him.

"This is Ryan?" Tony questioned. His voice was just above a whisper. He turned around and faced Kate. Although she was staring intently at the ground, averting his eyes, Tony could tell that she was ashamed at what Tony had found out.

Slowly, she lifted her head and her eyes met his. "Yes," she said. Her voice was barely audible. Tony looked over her shoulder at Ryan. He wrinkled his eyebrows in confusion and waited patiently for an explanation. Eventually, one came.

"He's my son, DiNozzo."

* * *

Well, what do you think? Please review! I've never written a one-shot before. I'd really like to hear what you all thought of it. Thanks for reading! 


	2. Chapter 2

**Keeping Ryan Private **

Ok, so this was only supposed to be a one-shot, but when everyone who reviewed said they wanted more, I felt I should deliver! And I have! Here is Part 2! I really hope you enjoy this part as much as the first!

* * *

"_He's my son, DiNozzo."_

Kate's eyes dropped as soon as the words escaped her mouth and she walked out of the room leaving Tony alone, staring at Ryan. Tony looked at the innocent little child sitting on Kate's couch. He was cute. There was no doubt about that. He had short brown hair, a similar color to Kate's, and he had a nose like Kate. Ryan was sitting there with his legs out in front of him because he was only little, giggling at the movie. Tony wandered about where Ryan came from. The only person who would be able to tell him that was Kate.

Slowly, he turned around and went to find her. He found her standing against the bench in the kitchen, obviously waiting for him. "Kate," he said tentatively as he entered the kitchen area.

"Tony," she said in a tone much similar to the one she had used to silence him yesterday in the elevator.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"You didn't need to know."

"I thought we were friends," Tony said, a small frown appearing on his face.

"We are, I mean-"

Tony cut her off, not wanting to hear her justify herself. "How old is he?" Kate's eyes dropped again. This was a conversation that she didn't really want to have with Tony. He'd take it all the wrong way.

"He's seven." She saw Tony quickly do the math in his head. He knew, based on her current age of thirty-one, that she would have been twenty-four when she gave birth to him.

"You were young," Tony stated simply. Kate nodded her head, still avoiding his eyes.

"I suppose you want to know the story," Kate said harshly.

"Kate, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come, I just, I just wanted to meet the person who seems to mean so much to you." Kate looked up at his confession and her expression softened.

"Sorry," she said softly, "it's just no-one has ever wanted to meet him before."

"What about Harrison? Dwayne?"

"They took one look at Ryan and bolted out the door."

"I'm sorry," Tony said.

"Don't be. It's not your fault." Tony moved towards the kitchen table and sat down, motioning for Kate to join him. "Do you want a coffee or something?"

"Yeah, thanks."

There was a comfortable silence as Kate moved about her kitchen preparing the coffees. He noticed her pour a glass of milk out as well. He presumed that one was for Ryan. She placed the two coffees on the table. "I'll just give this glass of milk to Ryan," Kate said, "then I'll come back."

Kate left the room with the glass of milk in her hand. Silently, Tony got up and followed her to the lounge room. He wanted to see her interact with her child. Kate bent down in front of him and held out the glass. "Here you go, sweetie," she said. "Mommy's just in the kitchen talking with a friend, ok?" Tony saw Ryan nod in acknowledgment. He smiled when he saw Kate lean in and kiss him lightly on the forehead.

Kate stood back up and locked eyes with Tony. Wordlessly, they made their way back to the kitchen where they both sat down and took a sip of their coffees.

"I was in college," Kate said as she set her cup down on the table. Tony looked up and gave her his full attention. "Mark and I had been together for two years when I found out I was pregnant. He was doing law and I was almost at the end of my psychology degree."

She took another sip of her coffee and continued speaking. "When I told him, he went crazy, saying I fell pregnant on purpose." Kate threw her hands up in anger. "I didn't want to have a child at that age, and neither did he. That night in his apartment was the last time I ever saw him." Tony reached across the table and took a hold of one her hands.

"You did it all on your own?"

"Yeah, evenmy parentsdidn't want to know about Ryan. They said I had disgraced the family name by having a child out of wedlock. I finished my degree and moved here shortly afterwards. I gave birth to Ryan and then I joined the Secret Service, and well, you pretty much know the rest."

"I can't believe you've been through all of this alone." Kate shrugged her shoulders at him.

"I coped,"

"Sure, you coped, but it can't have been easy."

"It wasn't. It still isn't easy, but I'm getting there."

"Who watches him during the day when he's not at school?"

"Mrs Sanderson, my next door neighbour. She is the mother of an old friend from the Secret Service."

"Oh, right. You're lucky to have someone like that," Tony pointed out.

"I know, but it's not the same."

Tony was about to reply when he heard a small voice coming from the entrance to the kitchen. "Momma," Ryan called out as he wandered in, the now-empty glass in his hand. Kate looked up and smiled when she saw that he had drunk all his milk.

"Good boy!" She motioned for him to come over to her. She took the glass from his hands and scooped him up and sat him on her lap. "Has the movie finished yet?"

"No, not yet. Who's that?" Ryan asked, pointing at Tony.

"That's Tony. I work with him." Tony gave Ryan a wave from the other side of the table.

"Hey pal!" Tony exclaimed.

"He catches the bad guys too?"

"He sure does, honey," Kate said, smiling at Ryan, "but sometimes he gets himself into lots of trouble!" Tony opened his mouth, feigning shock. Ryan giggled at the face Tony had pulled. Kate put Ryan back on his feet. "Go and watch the end of the movie and then we'll find something to do until dinner."

Ryan smiled and ran back out of the kitchen to watch the movie. "He's a great kid, Kate. You did a good job with him." Kate smiled meekly at the praise, but Tony continued on, "what is Mark doing now?"

"He's a big, hot-shot lawyer in Seattle last time I checked."

Tony smiled at what she said. "You do checks on him at work?" He asked incredulously. Kate dipped her head in embarrassment, but smiled faintly. "Has anyone else at NCIS met him?"

"No, and no-one at NCIS knows about him either."

"Not even Gibbs?"

"Even Gibbs," Kate re-affirmed. That was what she thought, anyway.

"Is he mentioned in your file?" Tony asked. Kate shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "If he's in your file, Gibbs would know. What about Abby?"

"Abby knows Ryan is the love of my life. She just assumed he was my boyfriend."

"Like I did yesterday?"

"Yes."

"You know, Kate, if you ever want someone to watch him, I'd be happy to."

"Thanks for the offer, Tony, but I don't want you giving him any ideas!"

"Would I do that, Kate?" Tony joked.

"Yes, you would DiNozzo!" Kate joked back. The seriousness of their previous conversation forgotten and they reverted to their usual bantering nature. "Coming?" Kate said to Tony as she stood up from the kitchen table.

"Where?"

"I don't know about you, but I have a movie to watch!" Tony smiled at her and followed her into the lounge room. He sat on the single couch and watched Kate interact with her son again. He liked how her eyes lit up whenever she was around him. Kate leant in and whispered something in Ryan's ear and Tony watched on as Ryan giggled. He saw that Kate was relaxed in Ryan's presence. She had her arm around him and Ryan was curled into her side.

Tony let his eyes focus on the screen in front of him, but he was still getting over the shock of Kate having a child. Not once, in all the cases they'd had involving children (which, thankfully, wasn't many) had she ever said anything about having her own child. In fact, she'd even mentioned that she wanted to have kids someday.

He frowned. She'd been through so many traumatic experiences, too. Being held hostage by Ari, twice, shooting an innocent boy, trusting Suzanne MacNeil and having that literally, blow up in her face. How did she cope with all of that and still manage to be there for her little boy?

He slowly tore his eyes away from the movie and let them re-focus on Kate. Just as his eyes settled on her, she looked over at him and their eyes locked together.

* * *

So, that's chapter 2. I suppose, if you want, this fic can be continued… once again, I have left it open for more if you would like! Review and let me know what you thought! 


	3. Chapter 3

**Keeping Ryan Private**

Wow! The response to this fic has been bothamazing and overwhelming. So amazing, in fact, that I have written another chapter! Keeping Ryan Private is no longer a one-shot or a two-shot. It now has a third chapter!

I hope you continue to enjoy this. Please let me know what you thought of it.

* * *

"Let's go through it again," Gibbs said tiredly. He sat back in the chair at the table they were all sitting at. Loud groans escaped the mouths of Kate, Tony and McGee.

"Gibbs!" Kate said emphatically, throwing her hands up in frustration. "We've been through this over a hundred times!"

"Which obviously isn't enough, Agent Todd," Gibbs retorted. "We're not heading back to DC until we've caught this dirtbag." Kate's heart sank. She rubbed her temples in a circular motion in an attempt to relieve the tension.

They'd been in San Diego for the last eight days trying to solve a triple homicide, but they weren't getting anywhere. Every time they thought they had a solid lead, it turned out to be dead in the water. They were all over-worked and hadn't had enough sleep. They all just wanted to go home.

Kate had wanted to go home more than any of them. She had never been away from Ryan this long before and she was missing him like crazy.

The anguish of being apart from him, being on the other side of the country, was killing her. In seven and a half years, the longest she'd ever been away from her son was three nights and at the time, she'd thought that was hell. But now, those three days were easy. This was excruciating.

"Boss, what's say we get some dinner, then go through it again?" Tony suggested. He saw Kate look at the time; he knew what it meant. It was just past eight o'clock at night in DC- Ryan's bed time. If she called now, she would be able to talk to him before he went to sleep. He'd noted that she had excused herself from their discussions at the same time every night.

Since Tony had found out about Ryan almost three months ago, he and Kate had grown considerably closer. They'd begun spending a lot of time together, hanging out at Kate's apartment so that they could spend time with Ryan. Ryan had grown quite fond of Tony and Kate didn't mind Tony popping over, either.

Gibbs nodded his head at Tony. "One hour, then you're back here."

Kate jumped up from her seat and walked out on to the balcony, cell phone in hand. With the glass door closed behind her, she pulled out her phone and dialed her home phone number.

"Hello. Todd residence," an elderly lady said.

"Hi Mrs. Sanderson. It's Kate. How are you?"

"I'm well, thank you dear," Mrs. Sanderson's voice was sweet and soft. "How is the case going?"

Kate sighed and leant against the railing of the balcony. "Not too well." Her voice was full of sadness. "How's Ryan?"

"He's fine."

"Is he behaving himself?"

"Of course. He's been rather quiet today, but I think he misses you."

"Do you mind if I speak to him for a moment?" Kate asked politely.

"Not at all. He's just lying in bed reading a book. I'll go and give him the phone."

Kate smiled at the image Mrs. Sanderson presented. Ryan always read a book before going to bed. He sat up against the bed head with his lamp on and the covers all tucked up around him.

"Mommy!" Ryan said into the phone. Kate smiled at the sound of his voice.

"Hi sweetie," Kate said into the phone. "How was school today?"

"It was ok," Ryan said half-heartedly. Kate wrinkled her eyebrows at the tinge of sadness she was able to hear in her young son's voice.

"Did you have soccer practice today?"

"Uh huh," Ryan said.

"How did it go?" Kate asked kindly.

"I scored a goal," he said. Although he sounded happy, she could still hear the misery in his voice.

"That's great, honey!" Kate said cheerfully, trying to lift his spirits.

"I suppose," Ryan sighed. "When are you coming home, momma?"

"Soon, sweetie, really soon. I promise." Ryan didn't respond to that, but Kate could hear him sigh and slump his shoulders. Her heart sank. She wanted nothing more than to sweep her son into her arms and hold him until they both fell asleep. "I miss you so much, Ryan," Kate said softly.

"I miss you too, Mommy."

"I promise I'll come home as soon as I can," Kate reassured.

"When will that be?" he asked in his childish way. Kate sighed. She didn't want to tell him that she didn't know, but she didn't have an exact day.

"Soon, Ryan, I promise. These bad guys are really smart."

"Can't you catch them?"

"We're trying, honey, we're trying really hard."

"Is Tony there?" Ryan asked.

"Yes, he's here too. He's helping mommy find the bad guys."

"Oh," Ryan said simply. "Can he come over and play when you get back?"

"We'll see!" Kate said cheekily.

"Come on, Momma! He's not that naughty!" Kate laughed at what he said. When Tony was ever at their house, Kate spent more time telling off Tony than she did her seven year old son.

"Alright sweetie, I've got to go now and get back to work, and you, buddy, have to go to sleep so that you can get up for school."

"Aw!" Ryan protested.

"I'll talk to you again tomorrow night, ok?"

"Ok, mom."

"Good night, sweetie. I love you!"

"I love you too, momma." Kate ended the call, closed her cell and put it in her pocket. She thought that perhaps by hearing Ryan's voice that she would feel better, but now, she felt worse. She felt further away from him than she had ever been.

A tear trickled down her cheek and she wiped it away furiously, hoping that none of the three men inside had seen it. But once that first tear had fallen, Kate was powerless to stop the rest. Tears spilt out of her eyes, flowing rapidly down her cheeks. She turned around suddenly so that her back was to the large glass door which separated her from her colleagues.

Inside, Tony and Gibbs shared a concerned look. Although they both knew about Ryan, neither of the two had said anything to the other about their knowledge of the young boy. "Ryan," Gibbs stated so that only Tony could hear. Tony nodded solemnly. They could see Kate's shoulders heaving with uncontrollable sobs. Suddenly, Tony remembered what he had done with Ryan and Kate the last time he was at her apartment. He'd taken a photo of them on his cell phone. Neither Kate nor Ryan knew that he had done so because they were so engrossed in each other at the time. He pulled out his cell phone and sent the photo to Kate with a short message.

McGee noticed Kate out on the balcony and was confused by her behaviour. What puzzled him more though, was the exchange between Tony and Gibbs. Once Tony had sent the picture, he passed his phone over to Gibbs so that he could see what he had just done. Gibbs smiled softly and handed the phone back to Tony.

Kate felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She pulled it out and opened it up. She had stopped crying by now, but she was still trying to regain her compose so that she could go back inside and order dinner.

She looked down at her phone and gasped at what was before her. It was a photo of her and Ryan, smiling at each other. She scrolled down to see if there was a message attached.

_Cheer up, Kate. We'll be back home before you know it. Tony :-)_

Slowly, Kate turned around and looked in through the glass door. She could see Gibbs standing there with his hands in his pockets and Tony standing next to him, cell phone in hand, with a soft and concerned look on his face.

Tony made his way towards the door and opened it. He stepped through onto the balcony and stood in front of Kate, obscuring her view of inside.

Kate let another tear slide slowly down her cheek. Tony, not caring that he was in full view of Gibbs or McGee, reached forward and brushed her tear away with his hand. Kate tilted her head into his hand and looked at him sadly. He took another step closer to her and pulled her into his arms. Kate threw her arms around him and began sobbing against his chest.

Tony's hand ran up and down her back soothingly. "Shhh," he whispered. "It's ok, Katie, it's ok."

* * *

So, that's it for chapter 3. That's all I have written of the fic, but if the response is as strong as it was for the other few chapters, I won't hesitate in writing another part! Hopefully, you enjoyedreading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.Please review! I'd love to hear what you thought of it and if you want to read another chapter. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Keeping Ryan Private**

Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed this fic. Your praise and encouragement has meant a lot to me. I really appreciate the time you take to write a review, no matter how long or short it is. So thank you.

Since you all liked it so much, I've decided to write another chapter for you as a 'thank you' present. I had lots of fun writing this chapter, so I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

**Part 4**

"You've always been a rule-breaker, haven't you, DiNozzo?" Gibbs deadpanned.

"Ah, yeah, I guess I have been," Tony said meekly. He wasn't sure where this conversation was going, but with Kate holding his hand by his side and the fact that Gibbs hadn't fired him yet was comforting.

Gibbs tilted his head to one side and looked at the two agents standing uncomfortably before him. He looked down at their clasped hands and smiled to himself.

"Agent Todd," Gibbs said, shifting his gaze to Kate. "What did I say to you when I hired you?"

The calm expression Kate had on her face vanished in less than a second and she now wore a look of terror. The words Gibbs said to her at Andrew's Air Force Base came flooding back. _Pull that crap at NCIS, I won't give you the chance to resign._

Kate's weight shifted uncomfortably from her left foot to her right foot and her grip on Tony's hand tightened. The walls of the interrogation room seemed to start closing in on her. Not even ten minutes ago, she and Tony had informed Gibbs of their engagement. And now, they found themselves standing in front of their boss who had certain rules on fraternization amongst colleagues.

"Well?" Gibbs prompted, his steel blue eyes staring into Kate's.

"You ah, said that if I, um, pulled that crap at NCIS, you wouldn't give me the chance to resign." She felt Tony tense beside her. She'd never told him that before, and it scared them both that it could be a reality.

"How does Ryan feel about you two?" Gibbs asked, changing the subject slightly. Kate raised her eyebrows in shock. Although she had long since realized that Gibbs knew about her eight-year-old son, he had never mentioned him to her.

Tony took this as his opportunity to speak. "He's excited, boss." Tony looked at Kate and they shared smiled brightly at each other. Ryan's reaction was exactly what they had been hoping for. His face had lit up and he hugged both Tony and Kate so fiercely that it was hard to breathe.

"I've never seen him so happy, Gibbs," Kate said softly.

"I haven't seen either of you so happy either," Gibbs stated, holding back a smile.

He was happy for them. He truly was. They were like son and daughter to him and he was glad that they had found happiness in each other.

A small smile adorned his usually hard features. "Congratulations!" Gibbs said. He couldn't hold it back any longer. His face broke out into a large smile.

Kate and Tony breathed a sigh of relief. "So you're not, ah, going to fire us?"

"No way in hell," Gibbs said. Tony slipped his arm around Kate and placed a kiss in her hair. Kate blushed furiously at his sign of affection. "Just tell me one thing. Just how long have you been together?"

Kate bit down on her lip to hold back the laughter, but Tony didn't have the same amount of self-control. He laughed at the perplexed expression on Gibbs' face before speaking. "We've been together for eleven months, boss."

Gibbs cast his mind back to November the year before; they had been working a particularly hard case in San Diego, chasing a former SEAL wanted for the murder of three female Navy Lieutenants. The case had been hard on all of them, more so for Kate, because she had been separated from her son. It had taken them fourteen days to find and apprehend their suspect, and in that time, Kate and Tony had become even closer. Gibbs wondered how he didn't see their engagement coming.

Kate and Tony watched as Gibbs rewound eleven months, and they suppressed a smile at the look of sheer bewilderment on his face. "Eleven months!" Gibbs exclaimed. "How did you manage to keep it a secret?" The all-knowing Gibbs suddenly didn't know as much as he thought he did.

"Well, boss, we ah, kept it out of the office," Tony stated.

"If you value your jobs, then you will keep it that way." Kate and Tony looked at each other, wide-eyed. They still had their jobs and that relieved a lot of the stress they'd been harbouring for the past two days. "When are you going to tell the rest of the team?" Gibbs asked. He relaxed his posture, and now it seemed it was just a friendly conversation between friends.

"We don't really know, Gibbs," Kate said. "No one knows about Ryan, either, so I'd like to introduce them to him."

"I'd like to meet him too," Gibbs said looking between Kate and Tony. The smile that appeared on Kate's face melted the hearts of both men in the small room.

* * *

The following Saturday, they were all working quietly on the paperwork from the case they'd just finished. Knowing that the whole team was going to be there, Kate hadorganized for Mrs. Sanderson to bring Ryan in at lunch time to meet everyone. Kate and Tony had talked about it during the week and decided that it would be less overwhelming for Ryan if he was introduced to the team individually.

He was quite a shy child; much like his mother was when she was his age. Although it didn't take him long to warm up to people, he always held back until he was entirely comfortable around them. He'd initially been very reserved around Tony the first few times he'd come over, too, but he quickly became comfortable around Tony and let his guard down.

Ryan sensed a change in his mother once she had come back from San Diego, and he soon found out that the relationship between his mother and Tony had gone beyond that of friends and co-workers.

Their relationship had started out simple; a date and a goodnight kiss, a walk in the park, a picnic, or a movie. It wasn't until they had been together for nearly eight months, did they take it any further.

Kate's phone rang just after midday. It was Dennis the security guard downstairs at NCIS. "Agent Todd, there is a young boy here and an elderly lady here to see you," Dennis said into the phone.

"Thanks, Dennis. I'll be right down." Upon hearing Dennis' name, Tony looked up at his fiancé. This also caught Gibbs' attention. McGee, however, sat quietly at his desk and continued working.

Kate stood up from her desk and motioned for Tony to follow her. "Gibbs," she said, "did you want to come..." she left the sentence hanging. Gibbs understood immediately what was going on, and he stood up from his desk and followed Kate and Tony to the elevator.

"Mommy!" Ryan yelled out when the elevator door's opened. Kate stepped out of the elevator with Gibbs and Tony following behind. This was the first time Gibbs had seen Kate's child and, like Tony had done when he first met Ryan, he hung back to see how Kate interacted with him. A smile appeared on everyone's faces. In the foyer of NCIS, Gibbs saw another side to his usually tough Special Agent.

"Hey, sweetie!" Kate said as she reached Ryan and Mrs. Sanderson. "Thanks for bringing him in. I really appreciate this."

"Not a problem, Kate," Mrs. Sanderson replied softly. She gave a small wave to Tony. "I'll see you later."

"Hey, Ryan!" Tony exclaimed as he stepped next to Kate.

"Hi Tony!" Ryan said, beaming up at his mother and Tony, who was soon going to be his stepfather. Kate reached over the counter in front of Dennis and grabbed an NCIS Visitor's Pass for her son.

"Ry, I've got someone I'd like you to meet," Kate said, taking him by the hand. Tony, on the other side of Kate, slipped an arm around her waist. Gibbs smiled at the family in front of him. "Ryan, this is Special Agent Gibbs, our boss."

Ryan raised his hand and offered the tall Senior Field Agent a small wave. "Nice to meet you," Gibbs said. He extended his hand for Ryan to take a shake. To Kate and Tony's surprise, Ryan reciprocated the movement and shook Gibbs' hand.

"Tony said that you're building a boat in your basement," Ryan stated. Kate and Tony bit back their laughter and Gibbs eyes darted between the two before he focused his attention on Ryan.

"He did, did he?" Gibbs quipped. Ryan nodded his head, an expression of bewilderment plastered on his face. "Yes, I am building a boat in my basement."

"How are you going to get it out?" Ryan asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"I haven't thought about that yet," Gibbs replied, smiling down at Ryan. He began leading the way back to the elevator. "So, what grade are you in at school?" Gibbs asked as the elevator doors closed.

"I'm in second grade," Ryan said proudly.

"Do you have a nice teacher?"

"Yeah, she's ok." Gibbs smiled at Kate and Tony. Both of them were beaming like proud parents. It seemed to him that Tony and Ryan had accepted each other and by the way Tony acted, he considered Ryan his son.

"Abby next?" Gibbs asked. Kate nodded hesitantly. Tony sensed Kate's hesitation and whispered in her ear.

"He'll be fine. He's a good kid." Kate smiled at him then ruffled her son's hair who was involved in an animated conversation with Gibbs.

The elevator doors dinged open and all four of them stepped out into the lab. "Hi guys!" Abby piped up when she saw Gibbs, Kate and Tony. "Hey! Who's this little guy?" she remarked when she saw Ryan standing next to Gibbs.

"I'm Ryan!" Kate and Tony were startled by his openness, but they realised that Abby had the talent to immediately put someone at ease and make them feel comfortable. Abby was so fixated on Ryan that she failed to notice that Kate and Tony were holding hands behind Gibbs.

"He's my son, Abby!" Kate stated. They watched on as Abby tried to form coherent sentences but came up short. Her mouth was opening and closing but no words were coming out. Well, it had finally been done- Abby Sciuto was speechless.

Tony cleared his throat and all eyes focused on him. "No, Kate," he said, correcting her. "He's _our_ son." He emphasized the 'our', making his point clear.

Abby looked at Kate, then to Tony, then back to Kate, her head action mimicking that of a tennis spectator.

"You two are…" Abby said, trailing off at the end.

"Engaged," Gibbs said, filling her in.

"Ahh!" Abby squealed. She ran over to Kate and Tony and threw her arms around them. Ryan stood next to Gibbs with a wide-eyed expression on his face. Abby eventually let go of the happy couple. "A son?"

Kate nodded her head and held out her hand to Ryan. He walked over and stood between his mother and Tony. "I thought Ryan was a thirty-something lawyer!" Abby said, noting the happy looks on her co-worker's faces. "Hi Ryan!" Abby said finally. She stuck her hand out, much like Gibbs had done. Ryan extended his hand and shook Abby's, flashing a broad smile. "I can't believe you didn't tell me!"

"It was a secret," Kate stated.

"What was? The fact that you have a son or that you're engaged to Tony?"

"Both," Tony replied for them.

"Kate, that's so mean!" Abby chided. "When's the wedding?" Abby was jumping up and down in excitement.

"We haven't set a date yet, Abby," Kate responded. Everyone in the room was grinning, so it was no wonder that McGee was confused, if not a little scared, when he entered the lab only moments later.

He was stunned, to say the least, when he found out that Kate and Tony were engaged and that they had a son. Well, biologically, Ryan was Kate's son, but Tony had been acting as if he was his own.

* * *

"Good night, Tony," Kate murmured against his lips. She kissed them lightly and took a small step backwards to stop the kiss from escalating. Tony reached out and took a hold of her hands.

"I wish I could stay tonight," Tony stated. Kate bit on her lip and looked at him sadly.

"I know, but I have to have to talk to Ryan about it."

"It's not as if I haven't stayed before, Kate," Tony replied cheekily.

"This is different, Tony, we're talking about moving in together."

"So?"

"It's a big thing for any couple to move in together, but I don't want to scare Ryan..." Kate said, leaving her sentence hanging. Tony just smiled down at Kate.

"I'll wait as long as it takes..." he said gently. Kate looked deep into Tony's eyes and saw nothing but love and support and it dawned on her that she wasn't scared for Ryan. She was also scared herself.

"I'll talk to Ry tonight," Kate said. She flicked her head in the direction of the lounge room and pulled Tony inside. "Will you wait in the lounge room?"

Tony flashed one of his smiles and stepped back inside. "Of course," he said, dropping a light kiss on her forehead.

As they re-entered the house, Tony headed into the lounge room and Kate walked down the passageway to Ryan's room. She hovered in the doorway for a moment, watching her son reading a book. "Ryan, honey," Kate whispered as she moved into the room.

"Hey mom," he replied, closing the book. Kate walked over to him and sat down on his bed.

"I want to talk to you about something," Kate said. She reached out and brushed his bangs out of his eyes. Ryan looked at her expectantly and waited for her to continue. "Well, you know how Tony and I are getting married, right?"

Ryan nodded his head slowly. "Well, sweetie, how do you feel about Tony coming to live with us?"

His eyes widened with shock and he looked at his mother incredulously. "Here?" he whispered softly.

"Yeah, he'll move in here with us. That way you won't have to change schools or anything like that," Kate rationalized.

"Where will he sleep?" Ryan asked in his eight-year-old way, "We only have two bedrooms."

Kate took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly. "He's going to sleep in my bed with me."

At that admission, Ryan's face dropped. "What about me?"

"You'll still have your room, honey," Kate replied.

"Yeah, but what's going to happen to me? You're going to have Tony and I'm not going to have anyone."

"Oh Ry, what makes you say that?"

"Because you love Tony more than me," Ryan said. He couldn't hold it in anymore and tears began to flow freely down his face. Kate was shocked. Never in a million years did she think Ryan would react like this. She reached forward and pulled him into her arms.

"I could never love anyone more than I love you, Ryan," she whispered, rubbing her hand in soothing circles on his back. He continued to cry into her shoulder and Kate had to fight back tears of her own. She wanted desperately for things to work between Tony and herself, but she needed Ryan to be okay with everything. This was the kind of reaction she had been dreading. "Shhh, Ry, I love you so much," she whispered.

She pulled back and wiped his tears away with her thumbs. "Ryan, you'll always be the love of my life."

* * *

Well, that's it for chapter four. Please let me know what you think of the new direction I've taken with this fic. I'd love to have some feedback. I'd also be happy to write another chapter for you all if you'd like. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Keeping Ryan Private**

Back with another chapter! Enjoy!

* * *

Tony rolled onto his side and propped himself up on his hand. He was staring intently at his wife of two years who was still sleeping peacefully. He reached out with his other hand and ran his fingers lightly over her cheek. 

Slowly, she began stirring and she opened her eyes to be greeted by his smiling face. "Happy Anniversary," he whispered. Kate smiled broadly back at him. She pulled on hand out from under the covers and brought it to his face. Mirroring him, she propped herself on her hand and looked back at him.

"Happy Anniversary, Tony," she whispered in return. They leaned into each other and brought their lips together in a slow yet passionate kiss. Slowly, Tony pulled out of the kiss.

"I love you, Kate," he admitted, looking deep into her eyes. He kissed her again, but pulled away before the kiss could get any deeper. "I have something I want to ask you," he said in a quiet tone.

Kate chuckled at him. "I'm already your wife, so..." Tony put a finger to her lips to silence her. They'd been married for two years now, surprising not only themselves, but everyone around them.

Tony took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He was more nervous asking her this than when he asked her to marry him. "I want to give Ryan a little brother or sister," he said softly. Kate gasped. Never in a million years did she expect to hear that. The room filled with an unsteady silence. Tony tore his eyes away from Kate and looked down at the mattress, almost in humiliation.

Once Kate had gotten over the shock of what Tony had said, she let a smile take over her features. "Hey," she whispered, trying to get Tony to look at her. Tony bit on his bottom lip and hesitantly lifted his eyes to look at his wife. She was smiling and nodding her head. "Yes."

Tony's eyes widened with the realization of what Kate had just said. "Really?" he squeaked.

Kate continued to smile at him. "I want to have another baby," she said. "I want to have a baby with you." She leant in and captured his lips with her own with the most passionate kiss they'd ever shared.

He pulled her body closer to his as the kiss intensified. He smiled against her mouth. "You want to start now, Mrs. DiNozzo?" Tony purred against her. Officially, Kate had changed her surname to 'DiNozzo,' but at work, she still went by 'Todd,' because it was easier and less confusing for everyone. Ryan, too, had changed his surname to DiNozzo when Kate and Tony married.

Tony continued to surprise Kate in their marriage. For their anniversary last year, he brought home adoption forms so that Ryan could officially become his son. And now this year, he told her he wanted to have another child.

"That sounds good to me," Kate murmured.

* * *

Kate and Tony walked into work that morning with large grins on their faces. They were late, they knew that, but they didn't care. They were so happy, they just couldn't contain themselves. No wonder they were almost an hour late, stopping on the way to work to… have breakfast. 

They'd managed to get Ryan to school on time and even he asked what was going on. He knew it was their anniversary, but was at a total loss as to why they were grinning like Cheshire cats.

"You're late," Gibbs barked as they sauntered into the bullpen.

"Kate may be, but I'm not," Tony said. Kate caught the double meaning in his words as she sat down at her desk.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gibbs asked, looking up from his computer.

Tony and Kate exchanged a conspiratorial smile, but denied that it meant anything. "If it meant nothing, then get to work. You both have paperwork to finish." Gibbs smiled at them when they sat down. "Happy Anniversary," he said once they'd gotten to work. Kate and Tony looked up from their computers and smiled.

"Thanks, Boss," Tony said.

"Thanks, Gibbs," was Kate's reply. Kate stole a glance over at Tony who gave her a suggestive wink in reply. Kate blushed furiously, wondering how she and Tony were going to be able to keep the fact that they were trying to have a baby to themselves.

When Kate first met Tony aboard Air Force one four years ago, she never envisaged falling in love with him and marrying him, especially since she had to look out for Ryan.But here she was, married and trying to have another baby. Ryan was almost eleven now, and he was still the love of her life.

Ryanwas more boisterous now too, Kate thought to herself, which was probably a result of living with Tony. Smiling to herself, Kate opened up the file in front of her and began to fill in the blanks on the paperwork. Tony sat back in his chair and stared at his wife with a dazed smile on his face. He thought back to when he first met Ryan and remembered the look of sheer humiliation on Kate's face. He didn't, and still doesn't, understand why she wanted to keep him private. He was a great kid, and Kate was an amazing woman and was glad that they had both let him into their lives. And now, they were going to add to their family and Tony couldn't be happier.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs barked, bringing him out of his day dream. Tony sat upright in his chair.

"Yes, boss," he said, cringing at the fact that he'd been caught out.

"Stop staring at your wife and start doing some work."

"Yes, boss." Tony straightened his jacket and began writing on the papers in front of him.

On the other side of the bullpen, Kate was too preoccupied with what was going on in her life to actually concentrate on the paperwork in front of her. She was reading things, but not absorbing anything. 'Imagine the amount of paperwork for when I have maternity leave,' she thought to herself. And that was when it hit her. She spun around on her seat and reached for a folder on top of her filing cabinet. It was a folder full of various official NCIS forms. She flicked through it until she found the form she wanted: Maternity Leave. She pulled the form out and put the folder back away. Kate spun back around and began filling in the form.

She left the dates blank, but had the rest of it filled in. Kate put it into an empty file folder and walked over to Tony.

"I need you to have a look at this," she said as she handed it to him, a smile on her face. When he took it from her, she turned back around and walked back to her desk. Gibbs watched this interaction with interest. He noted that Tony's eyes almost popped out of his head when he read what was inside the file.

"Kate?" Tony barely whispered as he looked over to her. Kate nodded her head slowly. "Are you serious?" He was consciously aware of Gibbs' eyes on him, but he didn't care. His wife had just confirmed that she was willing to have another child.

He stood up from his chair and walked over to where Kate sat at her desk. He knelt down in front of her and drew her in for a kiss. "DiNozzo!" Gibbs barked when he saw his two Senior Field Agents kissing like teenagers. "Todd!" he yelled when they didn't break apart.

Kate and Tony pulled away from each other grinning broadly. Tony turned to face Gibbs and his happy expression vanished. "Ah, sorry, boss," he offered sheepishly. Kate bit back the laughter at Tony's weak response.

"I suggest you both get back to work if you intend on celebrating your anniversary tonight," Gibbs stated.

"Yes, boss," Tony said as he walked over it his desk. "It won't happen again," he added.

"That's what you said last week," Gibbs deadpanned.

* * *

Kate and Tony were cuddled up on the couch later that night watching television. Ryan had long been in bed, leaving Kate and Tony on their own. "Kate?" he asked quietly. 

"Hmm," she replied.

"Why did you keep Ryan a secret?" He'd been married for her for two years and he still didn't know why Kate had kept her son hidden from them all. She turned around and faced him.

"I was ashamed, I guess," she stated softly.

"Why?" Kate shrugged her shoulders in response.

"I suppose it was because I didn't want to be judged. I was young and accidents happen."

"I'd never judge you, Kate," Tony said softly.

"Not now, but when I first came to NCIS you would have." He brought his hand up to her cheek. "I mean, I haven't spoken to my parents in nearly ten years. They basically disowned me when I fell pregnant with Ryan, too afraid of what people would think."

"I'd never judge you," he said again, conviction evident in his words. "I love you."

"I love you too, Tony," Kate whispered. She leant in and kissed him passionately.

"You know," she said against his mouth, "I'm glad I kept him private."

"Hmm," Tony murmured, biting down gently on her lower lip. "Why's that?"

"Because then I wouldn't be here with you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Tony said, "Happy anniversary, Kate."

* * *

So, that's the end of that chapter... please review and tell me what you thought! I love getting feedback... good or bad! 


	6. Chapter 6

**Keeping Ryan Private**

Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to review. I'm glad you're all enjoying this fic. I can't believe this was only supposed to bea one-shot and here I am posting chapter 6! I hope you like this chapter as much as the previous ones...

* * *

**Chapter 6**

"Mom! I'm home!" Ryan called out as he entered their apartment after another day at school. "Mom!" He called again when his first statement went unanswered. He set his bag down by the door and walked quietly through the apartment. He was just about to call out to his mother again when he saw her lying on the couch, sleeping peacefully. Ryan smiled to himself as he crept over to Kate to place a blanket a top of her sleeping form.

"Hey, sweetie," Kate said drearily as Ryan placed the blanket over her. Ryan recoiled in horror and mentally slapped himself for waking her.

"Hi, mom," he said softly. Kate opened her eyes slowly and smiled at her son. She sat up slowly and stifled a yawn.

"How was school, Ry?" Ryan shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

"It was alright, I suppose." Kate wrinkled her eyebrows at her eleven-year-old son's indifferent response. It wasn't like Ryan to respond like that, especially about school. He liked his teacher, had great friends and found most subjects easy.

"Come here," she said softly and patted the vacant spot next to her on the couch. Slowly, Ryan sat down next to his mom. Kate wrapped one arm around him and drew him closer to her body. Her other hand rested lightly on her enlarged stomach. She was on maternity leave now, only four days away from her due date.

"What's the matter, Ryan?" Ryan looked up at his mother with tear-filled eyes and Kate's heart broke when she saw the turmoil in them. Instinctively, Kate removed her hand from her stomach and put it around her son, pulling him into a tight embrace. Ryan's arms flung around her and he buried his face in her shoulder and began sobbing. Kate stroked his hair lightly and planted a kiss in his hair. She let him cry and waited until his tears had subsided before pulling away and speaking. "Ryan, honey, what's the matter?"

He bit on his bottom lip and looked away from Kate, not wanting to meet her eyes. "Hey," she said as she placed her hand lightly on his cheek and turning his head back to face her. "You can tell me, you know."

He nodded his head slowly and took a deep breath. "This baby," he said gesturing towards Kate's stomach. "Tony is it's dad." Kate nodded her head and realised almost immediately where this conversation was heading. "What about my dad?"

Although Tony had officially adopted Ryan as his son, he was not his biological father. Kate sighed deeply. She'd never had this conversation with Ryan before; he'd never asked. "I know Tony isn't my real dad."

"That's right, he's not your real father," Kate said, "but he loves you as if you were his real son."

"That's not what I meant," Ryan said sadly.

"What did you mean?" Kate asked, confused at his intentions.

"It's just that, well, everyone in my class has a dad. I don't."

"Tony is your dad, Ryan."

"If he is my dad, then who is my father?" Kate tried to hide her surprise at the depth in her son's question. "Mom, you have never even told me his name."

Kate contemplated his question and paused before responding. She really wished she had Tony next to her at this moment, but he was still at work. She also knew, however, that this was a conversation that her and Ryan had to have by themselves. "His name was Mark," Kate said sadly.

"Okay," Ryan said. "Can I ask what happened?" He added tentatively.

Kate thought about how to word her answer. She wasn't supposed to fall pregnant; it had been an accident, but she couldn't tell her son that. She also couldn't tell him that his own father didn't even want him, but she couldn't bring herself to lie to him, as easy as it probably was. "We had a fight," Kate said quietly.

"What about?"

"Our relationship," Kate said. "I wanted more from him, but he couldn't give it, so we broke up." She sat back on the couch and let both hands rest protectively over her unborn child. It wasn't the truth, and she knew it, but hopefully he would be able to accept her answer.

"Oh, okay," Ryan murmured. "What's going to happen once the baby is born?"

"What do you mean?" She wasn't sure if it was just her tiredness that was stopping her from understanding her son or if it was because his questions seemed so uncharacteristic and out-of-the-blue, but nothing Ryan was saying was making sense to her.

"I mean, Tony is this baby's dad. When it's born, Tony's going to have his own child. He's going to forget about me. You will, too." Kate's eyes widened incredulously at what he had just said.

"Ryan, that will never happen."

"Mom," he said softly, his face an expression of distress and sadness.

"No, Ryan, Tony and I will never forget about you. You're _our_ son." She emphasized the 'our', hoping that Ryan would understand. Ryan smiled softly at his mother before dropping his head again. "There's something else, isn't there?" Kate asked. Ryan hesitated before nodding his head. "Tell me, sweetie."

"Do you think Tony would mind if I called him 'Dad'?" He looked up at Kate sheepishly and held his breath for her response.

Kate's eyes lit up and a smile radiated off her face. "I think he'd like that a lot, Ryan." She extended her arms and pulled him into a hug. "I love you," she whispered in his ear. He pulled out of her arms and placed his hands on her stomach.

"It kicked!" He exclaimed, smiling brightly. His face lit up and all the sadness and worry that was there five minutes ago had gone.

"It sure did, sweetie." Kate reached a hand out and cradled her son's face.

"Are you scared?" Ryan asked quietly.

Kate tilted her head and studied him carefully. "Only a little bit," she whispered back.

"Were you scared when I was born?"

"I was terrified," Kate said softly. She smiled softly at Ryan and he smiled back. Ryan extended his arms and gave his mother a brief hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I love you, Mom." He settled back into her arms and closed his eyes.

"You falling asleep on me?" Kate joked, nudging him. Although he didn't respond with words, Ryan shook his head. "We've still got two hours before your Dad gets home," Kate said, using the words 'your Dad' purposefully, "what's say we watch a movie?"

Ryan flashed his mother a bright smile before getting up and putting on a DVD. He quickly moved back to the couch and snuggled into Kate.

That was how Tony found them two hours later when he arrived home from work. After kissing Kate lightly on the cheek and ruffling Ryan's hair, he sat down with them on the couch.

"How was everyone's day?" He asked when the credits started to roll only a few minutes later.

"Alright," Kate said half-heartedly. She looked down at Ryan and nudged him lightly.

"School was ok," Ryan added, looking at his mom, seeking permission to ask Tony about what he had discussed with Kate when he had gotten home from school.

"Why do I feel like there is a conspiracy against me?" Tony asked, looking at his son suspiciously.

"Why would you think that, DiNozzo?" Kate asked cheekily.

"Because I know you," he said, raising his eyebrows at her. "And you," he said, poking Ryan in the chest. Ryan giggled and looked up at Tony.

"Ryan and I had a little chat this afternoon, didn't we Ry?"

"Oh, really?" Tony asked, making eye contact with his son, who merely nodded in response. Kate nudged him lightly again, urging him to ask Tony. "What was this little chat about?" Tony asked, focusing entirely on Ryan. He had seen the little nudge Kate had given him and was more than curious as to what was going on.

"Um, ah," Ryan said. He tore his eyes off Tony and turned around to face Kate. She nodded her head at him, encouraging him to speak up. Slowly, Ryan twisted back around and looked at Tony. "I was wondering if, um, well, I asked mom if she thought that, ah…" Ryan looked away from Tony, embarrassed. He was nervous and his shyness had returned.

Tony tilted his head to one side and reached out and put a hand on Ryan's forearm. "You can tell me, son," Tony said gently. At the word 'son', Ryan's head snapped up and his eyes met Tony's.

"I was wondering if I could, well, if you'd mind, if I called you 'Dad'?" As soon as the words escaped his lips, Ryan began fidgeting with his fingers. Tony's eyes widened in surprise and they flicked up to look at his wife questioningly before lowering them to focus on Ryan.

"I wouldn't mind at all," Tony said softly. "I'd like that." He flashed one of his bright smiles and ruffled Ryan's hair. Without thinking, Ryan threw his arms around Tony's neck and embraced him tightly. Tony wrapped his arms around his son and looked at Kate. Tears were glistening in her eyes, and Tony knew that this is what she had always wanted.

"I love you," she mouthed silently as the first of the tears began to fall.

Ryan clung on tighter to Tony. "I love you, Dad," he whispered.

* * *

Righty... that's it for this chapter! Please review and tell me what you thought of it. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Keeping Ryan Private**

This is the last chapter of Keeping Ryan Private. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this fic. It means a lot. This was originally supposed to be a one-shot, but somehow, it has managed to become so much more! I've loved writing this fic and I really hope you enjoy this final chapter.

* * *

"So, this is our last night just us three together?" Ryan asked during dinner. Kate was due the following day and could technically go into labor at any minute.

"Yeah, sweetie, it is," Kate said softly. Whilst she was a little bit sad at the thought that it wouldn't just be her, Ryan and Tony anymore, she was also excited to be having another baby.

Ryan nodded his slowly. "Are you sure you don't want to be at the hospital when your brother or sister is born?" Tony asked, changing the topic slightly. They'd talked about it with Ryan at length, and he'd decided that he would rather stay with Mrs. Sanderson when Kate went into labor. Whenever that happened, was anyone's guess. That decision, however, was several months ago. Now that the time was pretty much upon them, Tony was hoping that he might change his mind.

"I don't know," Ryan said quietly. "Hospitals are scary, but it's kinda cool that I'm going to have a brother or sister." Kate reached out and took a hold of her son's hand.

"We'd like to have you there. You don't have to be in the room with Tony and I, but you can be outside with Mrs. Sanderson."

"Gibbs is going to be there, too," Tony pointed out. Tony had coaxed Gibbs into coming to the hospital when Kate goes into labor just because… 'well, you're Gibbs,' Tony had said at the time.

He remembered the conversation he'd had with his boss, just days after Kate's maternity leave started, barely a month ago. Tony was worried about Kate being homealone all day, but Gibbs assured him that everything would be fine. That same day, when he and Gibbs were driving back from interviewing a witness, Tony confessed to Gibbs that he didn't want to be the only one there at the hospital. Since neither he nor Kate spoke to their families, it was just going to be the two of them. "I mean, it's well, this will be the second time that Kate's done this, boss, but this is the first time for me," Tony admitted to Gibbs timidly.

"DiNozzo," Gibbs said in a warning tone.

"Come on, Gibbs," Tony said desperately, "I mean, kids!" He exclaimed. Gibbs kept his hands firmly on the steering wheel of the sedan and looked over at the younger agent.

"DiNozzo, you are a federal agent."

"But there isn't a chapter on 'how to raise kids' in the NCIS Handbook!"

"You read the handbook?" Gibbs asked, surprise more than evident.

"Of course I read the handbook, Boss!" Tony exclaimed. Gibbs' lips quirked upwards into a small smile.

"You really want me to be at the hospital?" Gibbs asked again.

"Boss, you gave Kate away at our wedding, and you're going to be god-father to this baby. Don't make me beg!" Tony said, smiling. Kate's father didn't want anything to do with his daughter and he had held that view since she was pregnant with Ryan. Whoever said that time heals all wounds was clearly wrong in the case of Mr. Todd and his daughter.

"Alright," Gibbs said plainly.

"Really?"

"Don't make me re-think my decision, Tony," Gibbs said.

"Thanks, boss, we, ah, really appreciate it," Tony said hastily. He and Kate had discussed it at length, and whilst they didn't want Gibbs in the birthing room with them, they'd wanted him there just because nothing ever went wrong when he was around.

"Gibbs is going to be there?" Ryan asked, confusion evident on his face.

"Yeah, he is kiddo," Tony replied, smiling at Kate. Ryan seemed to contemplate this new piece of information before he responded.

"Ok, maybe I might come," he said, staring off into space. Kate smiled broadly.

"Thank you, Ry," she said sincerely. They continued to eat their dinner in relative silence, and Tony glanced worriedly at his wife when he saw her hand go quickly to her stomach.

"Everything okay, Kate?" He asked worriedly.

Kate looked up from her plate and smiled at him. "Everything's fine, Tony," she said as she put another forkful of rice into her mouth. Her other hand, however, remained firmly on her belly.

"I'm done!" Ryan exclaimed as he cleared his plate.

"Good boy," Tony said. "Go and put it in the sink and go and finish your homework."

"Sure thing, dad," Ryan said as he picked up his plate and put it into the sink. It had only been three days since Ryan had began calling Tony 'Dad', but it stuck immediately and it felt normal for all of them. He left the room quickly, leaving his parents alone in the kitchen to finish their dinner.

Kate grimaced and Tony was immediately out of his chair and kneeling down next to her. He had one hand on the back of her chair and the other resting lightly on their unborn child.

"Kate?" He asked questioningly.

"I'm fine, Tony," Kate replied softly. "The baby's just kicking, that's all."

"Are you sure? The baby's kicked before and you've never reacted like that."

Kate took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, placing her other hand on her belly as well. "I think the baby is turning," she whispered, looking deep into Tony's eyes.

"This is it?" He questioned.

"Soon," Kate all but whispered. "Really soon." Tony leant in and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"I should call Gibbs," Tony said as he pulled away. "He said he's going to meet us at the hospital."

"Don't call him until we leave. I may not go into labor for another few hours yet," Kate replied rationally.

"Yeah, but…"

"Tony, calm down," Kate soothed. She smiled broadly at him.

"We should tell Ry, though," Tony pointed out.

"Let's just finish dinner." Tony stood up and kissed Kate lightly on the forehead. He didn't understand how she was so calm about it all. Hell, he was shaking so much that he could barely put the fork up to his mouth. "Calm down, Tony," she whispered again, looking directly at him.

He put his fork down and took a hold of one of her hands resting on the table. "I love you," he whispered. Kate smiled at him and was just about to respond when she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. Her face paled immediately and she looked down in her lap.

"Kate!" Tony exclaimed as he sprang from his seat again.

"My water just broke," she said softly.

* * *

"Come on, Katie," Tony said encouragingly, "you can do this." His words were met with another tight squeeze of his hand and short, shallow breaths from Kate. Kate had been in labor for seven hours already. They'd come straight to the hospital when her water broke and Gibbs had met them there. As far as they knew, he was still out there in the waiting room with Ryan who had hurriedly collected the bag they had packed for Kate and taken it out to the car. Kate and Tony exited the apartment a moment later and climbed into the car and began making the short drive to Bethesda.

It was now well after three o'clock in the morning and they were still going strong. The contractions were closer together now, and the doctor said that it was almost time to start pushing.

"Breathe, Kate," Tony whispered as another contraction hit.

"AH!" She exclaimed as pain washed over her body.

"Ok, Mrs. DiNozzo," Dr. Evans said when the contraction was over, "when the next contraction comes, I want you to start pushing, this little baby is already to come out."

Kate turned her head and looked at Tony. He leant in and kissed her briefly. "This is it, Katie," he whispered. "I love you."

"AWWW!" Kate yelled loudly.

"Push, Kate, I need you to push for me," the Doctor said.

"Ah!" she exclaimed even louder.

"Come on, Katie," Tony said again, "you can do this."

Kate's face contorted in pain as she pushed with all her strength. Her hair clung to her sweaty body and she held tightly onto Tony's hands.

"I can see the head," the Dr. Evans said.

"He can see the head, Katie," Tony exclaimed excitedly.

"Ok, Kate, I need one really big push now to get the baby's head out," Dr. Evans said calmly.

Kate was breathing hard and fast and she yelled in agony when she pushed again. Tears pricked her eyes, but she continued to push. "The shoulders are right there, they're going to be the hardest part. Just try to relax for a moment, then push again."

"I can't do this," Kate said in between deep breaths.

"Yes, you can, Katie," Tony whispered. "You can do this." He kissed her temple again and suddenly she started pushing again, her grip on Tony's hands tightening by the second.

Minutes later, Kate flopped back on to the pillows, breathing heavily. "It's a girl!" Dr. Evans exclaimed as he held the baby up from the foot of the bed.

"You did it, Kate," Tony said proudly. "You did it! A little girl! We have a daughter!"

"Would you like to hold her quickly before we clean her up?" Kate sat up immediately and held her arms out. The Doctor moved around to Kate's side and placed the tiny baby girl into her arms. Tony wrapped his arms around her and stroked the baby's cheek. She let out a tiny cry and Tony and Kate looked at each other with broad smiles.

"Have you got a name for her?" The nurse piped up.

Kate and Tony stared deep into each other's eyes, seeing nothing but love and adoration. Kate broke the eye contact and looked down at her baby daughter. "Isabel," she said proudly. "Isabel DiNozzo."

"Welcome to the world, Isabel," Tony whispered, kissing Kate lightly on her temple.

"We'll just take her for a moment and clean her up and the she's all yours," the Nurse said politely. Hesitantly, Kate passed her baby over and turned back to Tony.

"Can you go and find Ryan and bring him in here," Kate asked softly. Tony took a hold of her hand and gave it a small squeeze.

"Of course, honey," he said. Just before he let go of her hand, he leant in and whispered in her ear, "I'm so proud of you." Kate smiled lazily at her husband and let her head fall back on the pillows. "I'll be back in a second."

* * *

"Boss!" Tony called excitedly as he walked into the waiting room. Gibbs was sitting in one of the chairs with Ryan's head in his lap. Ryan was stretched out asleep along the chairs and Gibbs hand rested lightly on his back. In his other hand was a cup of coffee.

"Everything go ok, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked quietly, not wanting to wake the sleeping child in his lap.

"It went perfect," Tony beamed. He knelt down next to Ryan and shook him gently. "Ryan, wake up, we've got someone we want you to meet." Ryan stirred and opened his eyes lazily. He looked around the room disorientated then let his eyes rest on his father.

"Mom's had the baby?"

"She sure has, kiddo," he said, ruffling his hair. "Come on." Ryan sat up quickly and jumped down from the seats. "You coming, Boss?" Tony asked when he noticed that Gibbs was still sitting.

"I'll leave you guys alone for a little bit. I'll come in later if that's ok with you," he said. He looked down at his watch and it was nearing four o'clock in the morning.

"Sure thing," Tony said, "and thanks." Gibbs nodded in acknowledgement and watched asTony and Ryan quickened the pace to go and visit Kate.

"Knock, knock," Tony called as he opened the door slowly to reveal Kate sitting up in bed with Isabel in her arms.

"Mom!" Ryan said as soon as he saw his mother. He ran over to the bed and kissed her on the cheek.

"Hi, sweetie," she said smiling at him. She looked back down at the baby she cradled close to her exhausted body. "I'd like you to meet your baby sister."

"A sister!" Ryan exclaimed.

"Yeah, pal," Tony said moving to stand next to Ryan. He reached out a hand and touched his daughter lightly on the nose. "We'd like you to meet Isabel."

"That's a pretty name," Ryan said softly. "Hi Isabel," he continued, "I'm your big brother." Kate looked at Tony and smiled. She couldn't remember ever being this happy. "She's so small," he remarked, bewildered.

"You were that small, too," Kate pointed out.

"I was?"

"Yeah, you were." Kate thought back to when she held Ryan for the first time and all the emotions that she felt. Tony put his hand on Ryan's shoulder and gave it a tight squeeze.

"Would you like to hold her?" he asked gently.

"Can I?"

"Of course, Ry," Kate replied softly. Tony moved him over to the chair in the corner and settled him. He picked up Isabel from her mother's arms and carried her over to his son. It only just hit him that he was holding his own flesh and blood; something he'd helped create. He took in the moment, vowing never to forget it, and then passed her to Ryan, making sure that she was safe in his arms.

He stood up and moved back to his wife, sitting down on the bed next to her. He took her hand and kissed it lightly.

Kate smiled broadly at him. "Thank you," she whispered softly.

"For what?" Tony replied, confused at her expression of gratitude.

"For being so nosy and wanting to meet Ryan." Tony chuckled at the memory. He remembered that day so clearly. It was the only time in his life when he'd been speechless. It was the only time he'd seen Kate look so humiliated.

Kate looked over at her son holding her daughter and smiled. She shifted her eyes back to her husband and leant in and kissed him softly on the lips. He responded eagerly and enveloped her in a tight embrace. Slowly, Kate broke away and looked at Tony with tear-filled eyes.

"Hey," he asked softly, "what is it?" He wiped her tears away with his thumbs and kissed her forehead lightly.

Through her tears, Kate smiled broadly at Tony and in the quietest of voices, she whispered, "I have a family."

The End.


End file.
